Hong Kong - Hong Kong recorded its highest-ever number of HIV infections in a single year in 2008, the city's Department of Health announced Tuesday.

There were 435 new cases of HIV recorded, the highest total since records began in 1984 and 5 per cent more than in 2007, a spokesman said.

Of the 435 infections, 131 people acquired the disease through heterosexual contact while another 145 were infected through homosexual or bisexual contact. The remainder of cases were unknown or from other sources.

Washington, Mar 2 : Women with low blood levels of vitamin B12 shortly before and after conception may have children with increased risk of a neural tube defect, according to a new study.

Washington, March 3 : A specific gene variant that links increased genetic risk for autism with gastrointestinal (GI) conditions has been identified by scientists at the University of Southern California (USC) and Vanderbilt University.

Dr. Pat Levitt, director of the Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute at the Keck School of Medicine of USC and chair-designate of the Department of cell and neurobiology, says that the research team's findings suggest that disrupted signalling of the MET gene may contribute to a syndrome that includes autism and co-occurring gastrointestinal dysfunction.

London, Mar 2: Fake Viagra made in c

Washington, Mar 2: A new study, conducted on mice, has found that compounds extracted from green vegetables like broccoli and cabbage could be a potent drug against melanoma, a type of skin cancer.

The study found that these compounds, when combined with selenium, target tumours more safely and effectively than conventional therapy.

"There are currently no drugs to target the proteins that trigger melanoma," said Gavin Robertson, associate professor of pharmacology, pathology and dermatology, Penn State College of Medicine.